A Chance To Redeem One's Self
by KarmaHope
Summary: After making a horrible mistake five years prior, fourteen-year-old Elicia Hughes decides to start down the path to fixing her deeds. But when it comes down to the deciding moment, can she really fight against the one she once loved more than life itself?
1. Step One: The Beginning

_I'M SORRY! I have such a severe case of FFADD! (FanFictioner's Attention Deficit Disorder.) And I thought I was doing so well with _In Truth, None of it Was Fiction_! Well, that's still my main story, but . . . I wanted to start this one._

_I have no clue when I'll update this one next. Truth&Fiction takes precedence. But . . . I really wanted to do this one!_

_I really, REALLY hope you like it. I think it's really a cool concept, and I hope you do tooooo!_

. . : : . .

_Clack._

_Clack._

_Clack._

It was the State Alchemist examination date.

_Clack._

_Clack._

_Clack._

_Clack._

_Clack._

A young woman walked purposefully down the halls towards where the written assessment was taking place, her heels clacking noisily down the silent hallway. Her long tan hair flew out behind her with her speed, overall creating a dramatic effect.

_Clack._

_Clack._

_CLACK._

She stopped in front of the door, examining it with her hard pale-green eyes. She knew this. She knew this information. She had been studying hard nigh on five years for this day. If she couldn't pass, who could?

She reached out her hand and grabbed the doorknob, pushing it open.

_Creeeaaak._

_Clack._

She stepped inside, her heels ringing out against the hard floor. The room instructor directed her to her seat, where she sat down in a business-like manner. She ignored the rest of the citizens that were in the room, waiting to take the test. They had nothing to do with her.

Fifteen minutes later, the occupants of the room were handed their packet and told to begin.

_Question One:_ The young girl read the question, filling in the appropriate answer. Having done that, she moved on through the rest of the test. An hour later, and she was five questions away from finishing. Unfortunately, time ran out before she could finish the last four. Still, she knew that she had done well. Only one person had ever finished the entire test, after all.

The next portion of the exam was to be the oral interview. She wasn't worried- she already knew what sort of questions they would ask, and she already knew her answers. She had known them for nearly five years.

_Click._

The door to the interrogation hall suddenly snitched open. Her name was called, and she stepped forward confidently.

_Clack._

_Clack._

Inside the darkened room sat a single chair bathed in light. Despite its ominous look, she went over and sat down, facing the panel that consisted of the Fuhrer and his most trusted officials. The tall one-eyed man looked down at her, poising to ask her the questions.

"Your name?" He asked, although she suspected he already knew the answer. She answered him anyways for the sake of the interview.

"Why do you wish to become a State Alchemist?"

She swallowed. "I made a mistake. A mistake that affects everyone. A mistake I need to correct." Her voice rang out clearly through the hall. "In order to correct my mistake, I need access to the military's resources and privileges. I wish to do this country some good with my abilities, rather than sit around and regret my past deeds."

Let them chew on that. The Fuhrer asked a few more questions, and then she was free to go.

_Clack._

_Clack._

_Clack._

She walked to the opposite side of the room that she entered from, and exited without a word.

The next hour was the most painful for her. It was the one where she was left pondering whether she had passed into the final examination or not. She sat nervously, but refused to let it show. She hadn't shown much emotion for the past five years- she wasn't about to start now.

She nearly sighed in relief when her name was called as one of the finalists. She was the last participant to go, so she was left waiting for another half hour, watching the older men show off their skills. There was one man who could bend water, and another one who used a type of air alchemy. There were others, but those two were the most impressive. At last, it was her turn to go.

_Clack._

_Clack._

_Clack._

No turning back. She was near to the center of the arena. She looked up at the Fuhrer and the rest of the decisive panel. She wasn't going to back down.

_Clack._

_Clack._

_Clack._

_Clack._

_CLACK._

She stopped, landing with one final _clack_ of her heeled shoes. She kept her gaze on the Fuhrer's box. Seeing his nod for her to begin, she reached towards the side of her skirt, slowly drawing out three small throwing daggers.

She held them between her fingers comfortably, as if she'd grown up with them. Which, in a sense, she had. She bit her lip, her hard green eyes narrowing as she scanned the arena, waiting for something to move. Five minutes passed, and she still hadn't seen anything. The crowd was growing restless, starting to murmur amongst themselves. Biting her lip harder, she paid no attention to them. Suddenly, she found what she was looking for.

A small green lizard, about the size of a standard ruler, scurried out into the open. Her roving eyes found it, focusing hard. The girl grinned. Shifting her grip on her daggers, she threw all three of them at the small creature.

The small weapons hit the reptile squarely, forming a small triangle. The engraved transmutation circles upon them glowed with a yellow light. Before the unfortunate lizard could run away, glowing yellow ropes appeared to engulf it before disappearing, holding it fast despite its struggles.

Quietly, the girl pressed her two palms together before placing them on the ground, transmuting a small polearm. Striding over to where the lizard lay captive, she quickly reached down with the weapon and killed it, putting it out of its misery. She deftly extracted her daggers, wiping them clean of blood and placing them back in their holders at her waist. She returned the polearm to whence it had come.

The audience had fallen silent with her display. She turned once more to the Fuhrer and his panel, bowing. Once she got the one-eyed man's approval, she quickly retreated from the arena.

. . : : . .

Two hours later, she was standing in the Fuhrer's office, staring down at her file.

**Name: Elicia Hughes**

**Age: 14**

**Title: The Binding Alchemist**

She had passed.

Despite her collected exterior, inside, she smiled.

She could finally right what she had done wrong.

. . : : . .

_And there we have it. The first chapter . . . once again, I'm unsure of how often I'll be able to update, but . . . I'll try!_


	2. Step Two: The First Steps

_Figured that since I began, and I'm in the mood, I might as well continue! Now, just to let you know, I'm deviating from what truly happened. I think it'll be mostly brotherhood, but the homunculi are still alive and kicking, and I have TrishaSloth, KidWrath and BradleyPride. Alright? It's kinda confuzzling . . . Just stick with me!_

. . : : . .

Fuhrer President Roy Mustang looked down at the girl standing in front of his mahogany desk. It nearly broke his heart to see her standing there, examining her acceptance file with an emotionless face. He missed the girl that she used to be, smiling and happy at the world. However, that Elicia Hughes had died half a decade ago. Ever since then, she had been cold and emotionless. He watched as her lips curled up in a faint, unexpressive smile.

"Thank you," she said softly, still keeping her gaze on the paper. "The Binding Alchemist, huh? Well, I kinda like it . . ." At this, she finally looked up at the black-haired man. "Whose jurisdiction will I be under?" she asked, curious.

Mustang, too, smiled softly. "You'll be working under Edward Elric," he told the young teen. Elicia blinked.

"Ed? But I thought-"

"That he was still out in the field?" Mustang laughed. "It turns out that his wife won't let him leave for more than a week or so at a time . . . if she's being generous. So, he took a desk job. He was complaining to me about it all this morning."

She smiled, relieved. She couldn't have asked for a better superior officer. 'Big brother' Edward had helped her throughout the past years, along with 'big brother' Alphonse. If it wasn't for them, she didn't know where she might've ended up.

"Thank you, Uncle Roy," she said, reverting to her informal title for the Fuhrer. It only made sense, considering the fact that he had been her father's best friend.

"Uncle? Soldier, you do know that you are to address me as 'Sir' or 'Fuhrer Mustang,'" he said teasingly. Elicia simply stuck her tongue out at him. Mustang sighed. "Run along now, Binding. I'm sure that Full metal's waiting for you."

Keeping her grasp on her papers, she bowed respectfully to the leader of the country before exiting the large office. She strode down the hallway towards the room number that she had been given. She gave a respectful wave to the soldiers that she knew, but never stopped walking. Her heeled boots _clack_ed against the polished floor.

Many of the soldiers of Central wondered what had happened to the young girl. Most of them had been victim to Lieutenant Colonel Hughes' picture flashings, and they could hardly believe that she was the same person.

Gone were the childish pigtails- in their place she had her tan hair loose, hanging down to her mid-back. She wore nothing like the dresses that she used to love. Nowadays, her standard outfit was a tank top, a miniskirt, black leather knuckle-gloves and tight leather heeled boots that rose to a few inches above her kneecap. At her hip she kept thee sets of small throwing daggers- one on each hip and one at the small of her back. She also had a set strapped to each upper arm and two sets strapped on each thigh. Her eyes had lost their playful look, and now had a hard glint to them, as if she was challenging the world to defy her. Her face was stone cold, almost never showing any emotion. Something had changed the girl, and it wasn't something good.

Elicia often ignored the stares that she got from the rest of the soldiers, and even those that came from normal civilians. She knew that her looks attracted attention, but frankly, she didn't care. If she were to care about what other people thought, she wouldn't be in Headquarters, striding down to Edward's office. She wouldn't be making the effort. If she cared, she would have a group of girlfriends and have a boyfriend and be going to sleepovers and parties every other weekend like a normal teenage girl. But she didn't. She didn't care.

She knew she had come to the right place when the door had 'Brigadier General Edward Elric' engraved on a golden plaque mounted to it. She sighed and shifted her file to the other hand before reaching out and hesitantly pushing the door open.

Edward had lost his alchemy in the process of regaining his brother's body. However, due to the fact that he still had extensive knowledge on the subject of alchemy, he was allowed to remain a state alchemist and keep his title 'Fullmetal.' Elicia was sometime uncertain if he was happy about that decision or not. He was twenty-six now, and married to Winry. He also had a five year old son, named Hughes, after her father. Hughes Elric.

She was relieved to find him sitting at the desk at the head of the room. "Ed? I passed the Exam . . . I'm under your command now," she told him, and he looked up.

"Elicia! How are you?"

"I'm good, I guess. Nothing's changed recently, other than the fact that I'm now a State Alchemist," she said, "Although you probably already knew that."

Ed smiled wryly. "How could I not? I was on the panel." He stood up, stretching. He no longer wore his black leather getup, but he still refused to wear the military uniform. Hanging over the back of his chair was his standard flaming red flamel-adorned jacket. He hadn't given that up yet, either. "So, then, Major Hughes, will you be requiring a desk in my office?" he asked, referring to the various desks that were set up for his other subordinates.

Elicia shook her head. "No, I don't think so," she said. "I'm not really going to be hanging around for all that long . . ."

The young man looked down at her. "Still fixated on _that_, huh?" She nodded.

"Yeah. It's the whole reason why I joined the military," she explained, checking the daggers at her side. "I can't give it up now. Besides," she said, pausing. "It was my mistake. I- I have to fix it," she said shuddering. It wasn't something that she _wanted_ to do. In fact, it was the very last thing on her list of things that she wanted to do. However, it was certainly on the top of her 'Things I Need To Do' list, which unfortunately took precedence over the 'Things I Want To Do' list.

"Your father would've been proud," Ed told her, and she cringed slightly on the inside.

_Yeah, my father,_ she thought. _Daddy . . ._ She had never quite gotten over calling her father 'Daddy.' Since he had died when she was so young, she had never had the chance to start calling him something different. To her, he was still 'Daddy,' and would always be that way.

"I guess so," she said, covering up her uneasiness.

Ed returned to his desk, retrieving something from one the many drawers. He held it up so that she could see it, enclosed in his hands. _My pocketwatch,_ she thought. It was then that the truth of what she had done caught up to her. She was a State Alchemist, a 'dog of the military.' The State Alchemists had never lost that nickname, even after Fuhrer President Roy Mustang took office. Nowadays they were treated much better, and were given much more freedom than they had when Fuhrer Bradley was still running the country. Or should she say Pride? However, the nickname still stuck.

"I'll trade you," he said with his signature cocky smile. "You hand me that folder, and I'll give you this."

"Equivalent exchange," she realized. The basis of all alchemy. Something that an alchemist should _never_ forget. She raised one corner of her mouth into a half-smile. However, it didn't reach her eyes. "Perfect."

She walked over to where Ed was standing, her heels once again _clack_ing on the hard floor. As soon as she handed the file over, the Fullmetal Alchemist dropped the watch into her outstretched hand. "Congratulations, you're a dog of the military," he said in his best 'Roy Mustang' tone. Elicia would have laughed, but she didn't laugh. Not anymore. "That's what our dear Fuhrer told me when I first joined. I thought I'd carry on the tradition."

Elicia simply nodded. "Thank you for all you've done for me these past five years," she said quietly. "I don't think I can repay you."

The twenty-six year old laughed. "Repay me? You've already repaid me- you've repaid all of us just by being here today!"

Her eyes widened. She hadn't thought about that. Apparently they had all been more worried for her than she had originally thought. She bit her lip, looking down at the shiny, overly-polished floor. "Yeah, well . . . I'm still here, and I'm not planning on going anywhere!" she said firmly. "I have something I need to get done, so I'll do it. I don't know how long it will take, but . . . I'll get it somehow."

Edward smiled softly. "You remind me of _me_ when I was your age- determined to take on the world in order to complete your goal." He paused. "Where are you heading first?" he asked her.

Elicia thought for a moment. "I'm probably going to Dublith first . . . I think that I could probably gain some useful information from Aunt Izumi," she said, noting the older man's shudder.

"I can never understand why you like her so much. She's like the devil!" he said with a passion, "Although I do agree with you. With the subject matter you're working with, she might be the best choice. I mean, I could probably help you, but she knows more."

"That's kinda what I thought," she admitted. "So . . . I'll probably go back home and say goodbye to Mom first, before I leave." She started heading towards the door. "Thank you for everything!" she called back over her shoulder.

Ed smiled. "No problem," he said back to her. "Make sure you call once you get to Dublith, alright?"

"I promise," was the last thing she said before she left her superior/ honorary brother's office. "Like you're one to talk," she muttered under her breath as she closed the door. She had heard stories about what the Fullmetal Alchemist was like back in his heyday.

. . : : . .

She decided not to take a taxi from Headquarters to her house. It wasn't far, and she felt like stretching her legs. She walked down the street with her head held high and swinging her new pocketwatch around lazily in one hand. She stopped to say hello to the people she knew, which was quite a few, and generally basked in the relief of having passed her Exam. It was about an hour later when she finally reached the house that she still shared with her mother.

"Mom, I'm home!" she called into the house.

"Welcome back, dear. How'd it go?" Gracia Hughes stepped out of the kitchen drying the plate that she had in her hand. In response, Elicia held her watch up high, letting it swing back and forth like a pendulum. Gracia grinned wearily. "Very well done, dear," she said. She didn't completely agree with her daughter joining the military, but she knew that it had to be done. She had also been pleased when it had given something for Elicia to work for, those past five years of her life. Without a goal, who knew where she would be now?

"Mom, I've decided that I'm going to go to Dublith to visit Aunt Izumi. I have a feeling that she'll know more about . . . the project that I'm working on," she said, fighting past the momentary choke in her throat. Gracia was silent, staring at the plate she was holding.

"If you feel that's what you need to do, then it's what you need to do," she eventually said. "I suppose I can't stop you. But . . . please be safe," she implored, tearing up. "I lost your father almost eleven years ago. I don't want to lose you as well!"

Elicia walked over and put a hand on her mother's shoulder. "I promise. Don't worry. You won't lose me. _I_ almost lost me, and that wasn't fun. I won't put you through that," she said. Gracia smiled weakly.

"Thank you," she whispered.

The teen smiled, although it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I'm going to go pack my things. I was planning on catching the last train," she said before retreating to her room.

Her room wasn't actually 'her room.' In reality, it had been the guest bedroom. 'Had been' being the key words. Elicia had moved in after she had sealed up her own room using alchemy. There was more than one reason why she never wanted to see that room again, and none of them were pleasant.

She quickly ransacked her drawers, gathering a weeks' worth of clothing. She chucked in a few extra sets of daggers and other necessities before glancing around the room. There really wasn't much of her stuff in the room. When she had moved out of her old bedroom, she had left most of her possessions inside. She kept very little in the room she now called her own.

She deftly locked the small briefcase, carrying it out into the living room. She paused when she saw the small memorial for her father. It contained many pictures. There were pictures of him in uniform, pictures of him without, and there were many pictures of him with Gracia. The shelf also contained a few pictures of him with Mustang, as well as many with him and a younger Elicia. The largest one was a recent family photo. Well, recent at the time that he had been killed. And then- there was his hat, resting on the shelf as well.

The navy blue military cap certainly hadn't seen a lot of use for the past eleven years, but it wasn't dusty. None of the shelf was dusty, Elicia made sure of that. Although Gracia did pick up the responsibility for a while when Elicia found herself unable to. Gradually, her attention was drawn back to the hat. She bit her lip, arguing with herself for a few moments. Coming to a decision, she lifted the hat off the shelf.

She wandered back out to the main hall, her briefcase in one hand and her father's hat in the other. She waited as her mother came out to see her off. As much as she would have liked to say that it was a tearful goodbye, it wasn't. Elicia didn't do tears. Finally, Gracia noticed the hat.

"Your father would have wanted you to have it," she said softly.

Elicia smirked sadly and set it askew on her head. "I thought so, too," she said. She waited for a moment. "Look, Mom, I'm not going to be long. Two weeks, at the most. Ed told me to call him when I get to Dublith- he's actually my superior officer. I'll call you as well, alright? But don't freak if I don't call right away. I may be busy."

Gracia nodded. "Okay, sweetie. You take care now, alright?" she asked, pulling her daughter into a hug. Elicia returned it.

"Alright," she said. Picking up her briefcase, she left the house, refusing to look back. If she looked back, then it would only make things difficult. She didn't need difficulty. She needed to get moving.

Elicia quickly reached the train station, asking for one ticket to Dublith. Once she received her ticket, she boarded the last train. She searched for an empty booth, and when she found one, she quickly spread out to take a nap. She didn't know how long it would take to Aunt Izumi's, but she figured that it would take long enough. Pulling her father's hat down over her eyes, she fell asleep.

She was jerked awake when the train suddenly stopped a few hours later. _Aw, great,_ she thought, _now what?_

She got her answer a few moments later when a couple tough guys came wandering into her car. _Bandits_, she thought dully, placing the cap back over her face and leaning back against the side of the train. _That is so . . . cliché._

. . : : . .

_And there's the second chapter . . . wow . . . kinda longish . . ._

_I KNOW Elicia seems so OOC. But trust me. There's a reason. In my writing, there's always a reason._

_And- I know- bandits? Can I be any more un-original and cliché? I don't think so . . . but I used it anyways. Anyhow._

_Sayonara!_


	3. Step Three: The Trip

_Third chapter for A Chance To Redeem One's Self!_

_Here we go!_

_Disclaimer not necessary that you already know the truth and they only take up space._

. . : : . .

Elicia closed her eyes beneath her father's cap. Bandits. She couldn't believe it. Well, they had chosen the wrong train to hijack, that was for sure. She slowly counted the seconds in her head, waiting for the burly men to reach her booth. She had gotten to thirty when a gruff voice interrupted her.

"Hey girlie," he said. "You do realize the situation you're in, right?"

"Perfectly well," she said, refusing to look at them. She would goad them for a bit longer.

"You're our hostage now," the bandit said, "Act a bit more like it."

"But I am acting like a hostage," she pointed out. "If I am a hostage, then there's no need to act, correct?"

The rest of the passengers were getting antsy, watching the scene unfold in front of them. They were worried for the young girl- She was surely no match for these men. These were men who wouldn't hesitate to take innocent human lives. Still, none of them were willing to get involved. The general mindset of the cabin was 'rather her than me!'

Meanwhile, the not-so-intelligent man had been dumbfounded by her statement. "I- I guess not," he said slowly, unsure of the situation at hand.

"Good," Elicia said, lifting her hat off her face. Her hard eyes glimmered. "Because I'm not going to!" She moved quickly, grabbing the daggers off of her right thigh. In one smooth maneuver, she sent them hurtling at the large man. He was too slow, and soon the small blades had embedded themselves within his flesh, forming a small triangle. The transmutation circles lit up with their bright yellow light, forming ropes around the man and binding him tight before fading. Still, they kept their hold.

The teen stood up, stretching the kinks out of her back. She set the cap firmly back onto her head at an angle. "Elicia Hughes," she said, reaching into her pocket and bringing her watch out for the man, as well as the rest of the citizens in the train car, to see. "The Binding Alchemist."

She grabbed the daggers from where they had landed, ignoring the blood that lay upon them. The man struggled, hoping that the removal of the daggers would mean the removal of his bindings. It didn't. Elicia stuck the weapons back into their holders on her thigh. "Well then," she said conversationally, "I guess I'd better do this train a favor and take out all the other guys. Keep an eye on him," she told the people in the train car, referring to the bound man. "Bindings usually last for around five hours."

With that, she exited the front of the car. She figured that the leader must be up near the front of the train. That's where they always were. How could you take control of a train if you were in the caboose? For a moment, she considered climbing topside and walking along the top of the train. She quickly dismissed that idea. She might've been a State Alchemist, she might've been a kick-ass fighter, but she _wasn't_ a monkey. She'd leave the trainwalking for another day.

So, she went the easy way- through the next car. There were two thugs located inside, threatening the passengers. Unfortunately, this time one of them had a gun. _Great_, she thought, _just my luck_. Elicia grabbed the daggers that were located on her hips, holding a set of three in each hand. "Hey, boys!" she yelled out tauntingly, "Don't you know that it's not nice to bully people?"

At the sound of her voice, everyone turned towards her. She swallowed as she stood at the ready, her feet a shoulders' width apart and her arms resting loosely by her sides. Both men started to advance on her, the one with the gun just a little in front of the other. She smirked as she threw her blades. _How have they even survived as bandits for this long?_ She wondered as they were caught in her net. She flinched as the gun went off, the bullets peppering the wall right behind her head. Hurrying over, she kicked the gun out of the man's grasp, moving it away. Once again, she retrieved her daggers before moving on to the next car.

She got through the last couple cars as easily as she had done the first. Unfortunately, her luck didn't hold out as she reached the foremost car. Whatever she had been expecting of the thugs' leader, it wasn't what she was greeted with.

The man was young, possibly her 'brother' Alphonse's age, which was twenty-five. He had short blonde hair and pale blue eyes. If it weren't for the evil smirk on his face, Elicia might've considered him cute. He was thin and wiry, and looked as if he would put up a good fight.

"So, you're the ringmaster, am I correct?" she asked him, stalling slightly.

"You could say that," he agreed. He laughed as she reached for her throwing daggers once more. "Do you think that I don't know who you are? _Elicia Hughes_. The Binding Alchemist, if I've got my information correct. Age fourteen, daughter of the late Lieutenant Colonel, or should I say- Brigadier General Maes Hughes. Although, five years ago, you did-"

"Shut up!" she yelled, interrupting him. "Who are you? How do you know all this? What do you want with me?"

"Me? Name's Tom. I have my sources. And you get me wrong, my dear. It's not _me_ that wants anything to do with you. Rather, it's the sources I mentioned."

"_You,_" she seethed. "You're working with _them_, aren't you?" she accused him. "AREN'T YOU?"

"You mean the ones that interfered with you five years ago and made your life a living hell? Precisely."

"They wanted me," she said quietly, her face going pale. "They wanted _me_, so they told you to put the lives of everyone on this train in danger!" She snatched her daggers out of their holder. They were bloody- she had run out of clean ones. Not that it mattered. Enraged, she chucked the tiny projectiles at where 'Tom' was standing. Unfortunately, they hit the back wall. Tom had moved out of the way.

Before she could grab another set, he was too close. He engaged her in hand-to-hand combat, and they quickly began exchanging blows and kicks. Elicia noted that he made sure to stay out of range of her boots. _Smart idea, bastard_, she though harshly. They were pretty evenly matched, and their fight seemed more like a deadly dance to those that sat watching them. Eventually, she had found her way to the other end of the cabin, where she collected her daggers that she had thrown.

She had no time to re-sheath them as she continued to try not to get killed. Suddenly, an idea came to her. Finding a gap in the combat, she threw one dagger into a corner of the train car. Over the next few minutes, she did that until she had eight daggers planted- one near the roof and one near the floor of each corner. She smirked.

"Dumbass," she said, referring to Tom. He had been concentrating so intensely on the fight that he had failed to notice her daggers.

"What?" He soon got his answer. The cabin was engulfed in yellow light as the transmutation circles on the daggers lit up. From each corner of the room came a golden yellow rope and they all moved to engulf the leader of the thugs. The light faded, and the man lay trapped on the floor of the train car. Elicia walked calmly around the perimeter of the cabin, collecting the daggers she had thrown. Eventually, she came back around to the bound man.

"You should be grateful that I'm letting you live. Don't get me wrong- I'd love to bash your guts out right here and now. _However,_ I need someone to take a message back to those people. Tell them that I'm coming, and I'm gonna fix what went wrong. I'm gonna eliminate _all_ of them, got it?" The man nodded weakly. "Now then, hold out your right hand." He did so, laying it down on the floor of the car. Elicia erased any emotion from her face before lifting her foot and stomping, crushing the bones in his hand. Tom groaned in pain. "Just a little something to remember me by," she said sweetly.

An hour later, they arrived at Dublith station. Stepping off the train after retrieving her briefcase, she quickly flagged down security. "There are some incapacitated bandits on that train. You may want to clear them off," she told them before continuing on her way, unconcerned.

. . : : . .

It wasn't long before Elicia found herself standing in front of the MEAT shop. She took a deep breath before opening the door and walking inside. "Aunt Izumi?" she called, "Uncle Sig?"

"Ah! Is that Elicia I hear?" Izumi Curtis said, walking out of the back of the shop. "It is! Welcome, Elicia," she said, holding out her hand as if for a handshake. However, when Elicia took it, she found herself flying through the air. She quickly dropped her briefcase, twisting midair so that she would land on her feet.

_Crack._

_Ah, shoot. I just cracked the floor_, she thought, stepping back and inspecting her point of impact. Sure enough, a line ran through the wooden board. Sighing, she quickly fixed it. Izumi noticed the light.

"Again?" she asked. It wasn't the first time that the teen had accidentally cracked the floorboards. It was actually a rather common occurrence. Everyone close to her had just accepted it, Izumi included.

"Yeah," Elicia said sheepishly. "Sorry."

"It's alright. It's not like you can help it. At least you have the means to fix it afterwards." The older woman sighed. "I hear you carried out you plan of becoming a Dog of the Military," she said coldly, looking down disdainfully at her honorary niece. Elicia dropped her eyes to the ground.

"Yes," she told the black-haired woman, "I did."

Izumi rested her forehead in her hand. "I guess I can't help it. You and Edward . . . you're so much alike. Nothing ever changes your minds." She looked up. "Go on then. You can put your stuff in Ed's old room. It's almost time for dinner."

Elicia quickly did as Izumi said, knowing what happened when one disobeyed. Half an hour later, she found herself sitting at the dinner table with Izumi and Sig. They ate in silence, as each of them was hungry, and none of them knew what to say.

"So . . ." Izumi said finally. "As much as I don't want to, I should probably ask . . . what did you receive as your second name?"

The fourteen-year-old swallowed the food that she had in her mouth. "I'm the Binding Alchemist. Uncle Roy put me under Ed's jurisdiction, so there won't be any awkward questions."

The older woman was surprised. "Ed actually took a desk job?"

Elicia smiled faintly. "Apparently, Winry made him."

"I've met her once, and she seems to be the type of woman who would do that," Izumi remarked. "Anyways, it's a good thing that you're under Edward. Especially since also went-"

"I know," she interrupted. "I've heard the stories. I only wish I had known then," she said sadly.

A grim atmosphere fell over the room. "Well, what's done is done, and we can't change it," Izumi said briskly. "We can only change the future, and it sounds like that's what you're trying to do."

Elicia nodded. "Yes. I've learned from my past and I'll be able to use that to help my future. It's the only way."

"Very well then. For now, however, you can help me clean the dishes. Then it's off to bed with you! Don't complain- we'll have plenty of time tomorrow."

Resigned to her honorary aunt's orders, she helped with the dishes, thinking things over while absentmindedly scrubbing the plates. She was exhausted by the time she was finally able to fall into bed.

Unfortunately, she wouldn't be getting the best night's sleep . . .

. . : : . .

_Cliffie. How do you like the story so far? Is it good? Do you like it? Are you curious yet? Have you figured it out? Should I stop asking questions? Huh? Huh?_

_Well, anyways._

_Sayonara!_


	4. Step Four: The Haunting

_Fourth chapter. I'm stalling on writing the Elric Intervention for _Truth&Fiction_, but . . . you don't need to know that. _

_So I decided to write the next chapter for _Chance_. I'm hoping that the more I write it the more people will read it . . . it's not getting a good rep at the moment._

_Anyhow. You can read the chapter now. It should clear some things up._

. . : : . .

She dreamed.

Unlike normal dreams, in which time and places and people did strange things, this dream was completely true to Elicia's memory. It began with a date from back when she was seven . . .

_The happy-go-lucky green eyed girl skipped happily on the sidewalk on her way home from school. She was impatient to get home- her mother had promised her cookies as an after school snack. She grinned at the thought of her mother's cookies. _They're so yummy, she_ though as she continued to skip down the road. _

_There was another reason for her joy- report cards had been issued that day, and hers was covered with As, with one B in art class. She was a bit disappointed with her B, but she was still thrilled with her overall success. She was the second-smartest kid in her class, the first being Ashton Grey. _

_She had always been a little intrigued by the boy- he sat in the first row of the classroom, and she could always see him clearly from her seat two rows back and to the right. He never talked to anyone, and he answered the teacher's questions with as few words as possible. He never volunteered, keeping his eyes locked on the book in front of him or the chalkboard up at the front of the classroom._

_Elicia had heard through the grapevine that he was actually a year older than them, but had stayed back a year due to unknown circumstances. His black spikey hair reminded her of her Uncle Roy, but it was longer and even more unkempt. She had heard stories of how his crystal gray eyes seemed to pierce through a person, although she couldn't confirm this due to the fact that he had never looked at her._

Meh, whatever_, she thought, continuing on down the road. It really wasn't any of her business, so she decided to stay out of it._

_She wasn't looking where she was going. She was off in her own world, humming a favorite song and looking up the trees that lined the side of the park she was walking past. Suddenly, she ran into . . . something. She didn't get a good look at what it was. Unprepared, she fell backwards as she lost her balance, dropping the piece of paper that she held in her hand. She was clearing her head when a voice cut into her consciousness._

"_You all right?" Squinting, she looked up at the person she had run into._

"_Yeah," she said, standing up as she brushed her dress off. She turned back to the mysterious person, trying to get a better look at who he was. The figure had long dark hair, gray eyes, and . . . "Ashton?" she asked, shocked._

"_Yes," he said, "What's your name?"_

_Elicia realized then that he really was as oblivious to the world around him as he appeared. "I'm Elicia. I'm in your class!"_

_For a second, he looked puzzled. Then, his eyes grew round. Was that recognition? Shock? Fear? She couldn't place it. Then again, she was only seven. She was thinking this through when suddenly, a different thought hit her._

"_My report card!" she cried, looking around her person frantically. She didn't see it at her feet, and she started to panic. _I was going to show that to Mommy! _She thought desperately. It was a few moments later when she saw the hand holding a wet sheet of paper out to her._

"_Is this it?" Ashton asked her. She peered carefully at the paper._

"_Yes!" she said excitedly, grabbing it from the older boy's hand. Unfortunately, since it was wet, it ripped cleanly down the middle when he didn't let go in time. "Oh," she said dejectedly, staring at the torn paper in her hands. She bit her lip as she attempted to keep from crying. She had so been looking forward to showing it to her mother!_

_She didn't notice when Ashton gently pried the half sheet of her report card out of her hands. She only came around when she saw a bright flash of light coming from in front of her. She blinked. Once, twice- there, lying on the ground at the dark-haired boy's feet, was her report card, in pristine condition._

"_You can do alc-alchemy?" she asked, stumbling slightly over the word. He nodded._

"_Uh-huh!" he said proudly, nodding._

_Elicia was amazed. His skill had fixed her report card! She also remembered something about her 'big brothers' Edward and Alphonse being able to do alchemy. For some reason, Ed didn't use it anymore, but Al still did . . ._

"_Can you teach me?" she asked eagerly._

"_Teach you?" His voice was hesitant, but she persisted._

"_Yeah! I wanna learn, but my brothers are often away, and Mommy doesn't know how. My uncle's too busy to teach me . . ." She could see the boy fighting with himself for an answer. He still hadn't answered when a kind-looking woman with purple eyes came up behind him._

"_Oh, sweetie, is this your new friend?" she asked, laying a hand on his shoulder. "What's your name, dear?" This question was directed to Elicia._

_She had always been warned not to talk to strangers, but this woman was Ashton's mother, she assumed. She seemed nice enough, and Elicia found herself talking. "E-Elicia Hughes," she said, clutching her report card between her two hands._

_The kindly woman said something under her breath- Elicia couldn't quite hear what she said. "Elicia," the woman told her, "I think Ash here would be _thrilled_ to teach you alchemy, wouldn't you dear?"_

_Ashton nodded slowly. "Absolutely," he said._

_Elicia grinned widely. "That would be GREAT!" She said happily. "Mrs. Grey? Can Ashton come over to my house today? Mommy's baking cookies, and it's been a long time since I've had any friends over!"_

_The boy's mother smiled. "Certainly," she said, nudging her son forward. When he turned back to look at her, she made a motion with her hands. "Go on," she said._

_He nodded, moving over to stand by Elicia. "Have fun," she said, "Don't be out too long!"_

_And then she was gone. The whole exchange sort of confused Elicia, but she quickly brushed it off, being the innocent and naïve girl that she was. "Come on!" she said to Ashton, "My house is just this way!" She grabbed his hand in her own (they were seven and eight- they could do that) and ran home._

_When they got there, she burst into the doorway. "Mommy!" she yelled, "I have a new friend! He said he's gonna teach me alchemy!"_

. . : : . .

Back in present day, Elicia woke up with a gasp. She looked over at the alarm clock that lay on the table beside her bed- 4:29 am. She groaned, rolling back over so that she stared at the ceiling. She hated that dream. She hated remembering her mistakes, remembering what had led her to be lying on that bed in the first place.

It had been the day that everything had taken a turn for the worse. She often thought back to it, running the scenario over in her head, finding ways that she could have changed the outcome.

If only she had been watching where she was going.

If only the report card hadn't landed in a puddle.

If only she hadn't asked Ashton to teach her alchemy.

If only she had gone by what her mother had said, and not spoken to the woman.

If only she hadn't asked Ashton over.

_If only she hadn't been so naïve_.

If only-

If only-

There were too many 'If only's. She could 'if only' herself to death, but that wouldn't change a thing. What's done is done, and she couldn't change that.

Elicia knew that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep again, so she swung out of bed and slid her feet into the slippers that were lying on the floor. She didn't want the slight sound that her feet made against the hard floors to give her away. Quietly, she checked that the Curtises were still asleep, and then she crept down the stairs.

It was still dark out, but she didn't want to have to turn a light on. She liked the dark. Quietly, she went about the kitchen, making herself a cup of hot cocoa. She had tried both tea and coffee once, and she had found that she detested both of them.

She sat herself at the kitchen table, quietly sipping her warm drink. In the dark of night, influenced by her dream, she couldn't help but recall what had happened. It was almost involuntary, and she could do nothing to stop her thought process.

When she came around, it was already starting to get light out, the sky a pale greyish-blue. Holding her now-empty mug, she walked over to the window, staring out into the street. It was dead silent at this time in the morning, and Elicia appreciated it. Sometimes, the bustle of the day got to her head, and she wished that she could just tune it all out.

Placing her mug in the sink, she returned back to her room, making sure to step over the creaky floorboard. She quietly got dressed, changing into her miniskirt and tank top outfit, attaching her cleaned blades to their various locations. She brushed her hair quickly, tying it back in a high ponytail. She grabbed her watch and her boots, keeping her slippers on until she reached the first floor once more.

Scrawling a note, she left it on the kitchen table with her slippers, knowing that either Sig or Izumi would find it later that morning. She quickly slid her heeled above-the-knee boots onto her feet, lacing them up and tying them securely before doing the top buckle. The pocketwatch went into her pocket, and she stepped outside into the cool morning air.

Elicia breathed deeply, appreciating the lack of activity in the streets around her. Taking one last look at the MEAT shop behind her, she started off walking down the street. She smiled as the only sound was that coming from her boots _clack_ing down the sidewalk. Over the years that she had been wearing them, the sound had become quite comforting. It often calmed her down as she listened to the routine falling of her footsteps.

She smirked as she remembered the other upside to her boots- as much as they calmed her; they annoyed the heck out of those around her. She remembered her mother wincing as she bought them for the first time. She should've felt bad, but she hadn't. If people had a problem with her, they could buzz off.

Lost in thought, her hands moved to finger the set of blades located on her outer thigh. She had first inherited a set from her father, given to her when she was eleven. She had played with them like darts, chucking them into the wall on the other side of her room. Slowly she grew an affinity for them, and started working to master her father's weapon of choice. Elicia only had two sets of her father's original daggers. Those were the ones that she kept on her hips. She had transmuted the rest- twenty one in all.

In those days that her movements were restricted, she had started working on a type of alchemy that would suit the daggers. She searched through books and interrogated the people she knew. Finally, she had figured it out- binding.

Through much work, she learned all that she could of the rare form of alchemy. Binding alchemy combined both the alchemy of Amestris and the alkahestry of Xing, fusing them together to create something that wasn't quite either of them. When she decided that knew enough, she engraved a transmutation circle into each one of her daggers.

Her first victim had been her 'brother' Edward. She told him to stand against the wall of her bedroom, as she didn't want to throw the daggers directly into him. Instead, she tossed three of them so that they landed in the wood outlining his form. She watched as the transmutation circles glowed yellow, emitting their golden ropes. After the light had died down, she found Ed lying on the floor, unable to move.

Both elated and horrified, Elicia realized that she hadn't found how to undo it. Luckily, the transmutation hadn't been all that strong, and he was only left lying there for about an hour. After that first time she swore that she would never use her alchemy on her friends again.

She had come full circle as she found herself standing in front of the MEAT shop once more. It was bright out now- Izumi was probably already awake. The sounds of the street had started to pick up once more.

Elicia sighed heavily, then opened the door to the MEAT shop and stepped inside, back into reality.

. . : : . .

_So there. We know a bit of her past now . . ._

_I love writing Elicia. We know absolutely_ nothing_ about her in the series, so it's so _easy_ to do whatever I want!_

_I'm hoping to draw a picture of her soon . . . so yeah._

_Sayonara!_


End file.
